Oud, Darbuka & Music Literacy

11 May '18 - 22 July '18

Taqasim Music School, founded by Iraqi Oud Master Ahmed Mukhtar, was established in 2011 to teach one of the most significant Oriental instruments called Oud, among other instruments and disciplines that represent Middle Eastern Music. The school will also be introducing new Darbuka lessons starting in spring 2017.

Taqasim Music School is running an Open Day on Saturday 5 May from 12- 4 pm to give prospective students the chance to discuss their musical interests with teachers and learn more about the nature and methodology of the courses.

Taqasim Music School is very pleased to announce a new course. The darbuka (also known by a number of other names including darabukka, doumbec, tabla and goblet drum) is a drum with an ancient history and much used in the music of the Middle East and other areas. It is played with the hands and has a single “head”. Originally made of baked clay and with an animal-skin head, modern versions are usually made of a light metal such as aluminium and have a plastic head.

The beginners course will cover basic techniques such as the correct way to hold the darbuka, how to produce the correct tones (such as “dum” and “tek”) and the correct right and left-hand strokes. Students will learn a variety of popular rhythms such as Wahda, Maqsum, Ayyub, Malfuf and Thurayya. Also a piece of music will be studied and students should be able to play this to the best of their abilities by the end of the 10 lessons. At the end of the course, students will have the option of progressing to an intermediate level darbuka course. This will involve more advanced playing techniques and the use of the darbuka to accompany singing.

NOTE: Students will need their own darbukas as they will need to practice between lessons.

This course will include new maqamat like (Nahawand, Kurd, Lami, Bayat and Maqam Bayat Shor) also you will learn new techniques of the second octave and some ornamentation.

This course is designed to students who are interested in improving their Oud ornamentation techniques and to extend their knowledge of the maqams .

In order to enrol for the intermediate level 2 courses, it is required to have attended an Oud intermediate level 1 or to have such a knowledge and have your own instrument. Students with existing knowledge may apply but will need to be assessed by a teacher: please contact: school@taqasim.net

The level is more advanced than intermediate level 1, so students need to take into account time for daily practice and study. The Oud intermediate level 2 course is made up of 10 lessons of 2 hours each, for a maximum group of 7 students. Lessons are taught on a weekly basis and it is recommended that students spend time practicing in between lessons. All course materials are provided in printed and digital format.

This course is highly recommended for students who want to take oud lessons for the first time but haven’t seriously studied music before.

Learning a new instrument is hard enough by itself: new ideas, new techniques, new pieces of music and lots and lots of practice! So let’s make things a little easier. In this short series (5 lessons) of classes you will learn all the basic skills you need to read, write and “talk” music. Taking a practical approach to music theory, we will be adapting the best bits from Western classical music theory and Arab classical music theory to give you all the tools you need to start your new life as a musician.

Topics for the course will include how to read and write rhythms; how to read and write melodies; understanding the basics of maqam theory and how to recognize maqams in notation; how to understand all the signs and symbols on a musical score.

NOTE: We highly encourage students interested in this course to sign up also to the Oud Beginners course running straight after it on Saturdays from 12:00 – 14:00.

The Oud is a short-necked fretless lute, the most important and wide-spread instrument in Middle-Eastern music. The objective of the beginners course is to acquire the fundamental techniques needed to play the Oud and understand the characteristics of the Maqam music system, studying the eight fundamental Maqams together with traditional and popular repertoire.

No previous music knowledge is required to attend this course, as most music is notated as tablature, a visual representation which does not require understanding of music notation. However, we do encourage beginners to sign up to our Music Literacy for Beginners Course. (You can find the description below)

The course is made up of 10 lessons of 2 hours each, for a maximum group of 7 students. Lessons are taught on a weekly basis and it is recommended that students spend time practicing in between lessons. All course materials are provided in printed and digital format.

NOTE: Students need to have their own instrument, and the teachers are available to assist in finding an Oud and in assessing instruments.

Taqasim Music School offers a more advanced set of courses for groups of students who are interested in improving their Oud playing skills further than beginners and lower than intermediate.

In order to enroll for these courses, it is required to have attended an Oud beginner’s course or to have basic information about Oud, and have your own instrument. The teachers are available to assist in finding an Oud and in assessing instruments.

The students need to take into account some basic oud information and time for daily practice and study. The course is made up of 10 lessons of 2 hours each, for a maximum group of 7 students. Lessons are taught on a weekly basis and it is recommended that students spend time practicing in between lessons. All course materials are provided in printed and digital format.

During the course, a selection of Maqams (Nahawand, Ajam, Kurd, Hijaz , Bayat, Rast, Saba and Siga) will be analysed in detail, studying traditional songs and pieces.

Taqasim Music School offers a more advanced set of courses for groups of students who are interested in improving their Oud playing skills further.

In order to enrol for the intermediate level 1 courses, it is required to have attended an Oud Lower Intermediate’s course, and have your own instrument. The teachers are available to assist in finding an Oud and in assessing instruments.

Students with existing knowledge may apply but will need to be assessed by a teacher: please contact us. The level is more advanced than Lower Intermediate, so students need to take into account time for daily practice and study. The Oud intermediate course level 1 is made up of 10 lessons of 2 hours each, for a maximum group of 7 students. Lessons are taught on a weekly basis and it is recommended that students spend time practicing in between lessons. All course materials are provided in printed and digital format.

During the course, a selection of Maqams ( ajam, Hijaz, Hijaz Kar, rast, Suzak) will be analysed in detail, studying traditional repertoire to highlight the characteristics of each Maqam, accompanied by technical studies on right hand techniques, left-hand positions and 2 octave scales.

This course will focus on new complex rhythms which will be learned and executed by combining the simpler rhythms covered in the beginner course. Such rhythms will include 5/4, 7/4 and 9/4 timing. Various ornamentations will be added to known rhythms by filling in the silent beats and controlling the speeds at which rhythms can be played.

Also, new techniques will be taught such as the mahbous using both the right and left hand. An alternate combination of techniques will be applied to rhythms in order to develop students’ ornamentation skills.

Additionally, the course will focus on improving the quality of sound students produce from their Darbuka. An emphasis will be placed on developing the techniques learned in the beginner class such as the dum, tek and shek.

This Course is open to Taqasim students who have successfully completed the Lower Intermediate, Intermediate 1 or Intermediate 2 courses.

The objective of the Oud Ensemble Course is to provide students with the opportunity to further progress their performance skills in a group setting. Each class will focus on a single Maqam and its corresponding repertoire with the goal of further developing students’ ornamentation skills such as tremolos, trills and the use of qarar and jawab within each song or piece.

Through this course, students will have a chance to progress their skills collaboratively while performing as a collective ensemble as well as playing solo. A selection of traditional songs and pieces will be analyzed in detail, adding various ornamentations and dynamics. Maqams that will be explored in detail include: Nahawand, Ajam, Rast and Bayat.

The course consists of 6 lessons, 3 hours every other week each for a maximum group of 10 students.
Lessons are taught on a monthly basis. All course materials are provided in print.

The Arabic Music Theory course is designed to shed some light onto how the Maqam System works. In this course, you will learn not only how to read but also how to sing the nuances of Arabic music and rhythm using solfege (your voice). You will also be introduced to basic maqam theory, ajnaas/tetrachords, the concept of modulation and the ways in which the maqamaat interact and intertwine with each other. This is designed to prepare you to better understand different maqamaat and the inner workings of taqasim.

This course is intended for students who have completed the Music Literacy course as well as the Intermediate Oud course. This is because it is important to already be familiar with secondary maqamaat and transpositions. If you are not a current student at the Taqasim Music School and wish to join the course, you will need to be assessed by a teacher before enrolment in order to make sure that you have sufficient prior knowledge to make the best of the course.

Please also note that we have a list of FAQs which can be found below, including Terms and Condition and Refund Policy.

How many students will be in each class? There will be a maximum of 7 students in each oud class, in Music Literacy and Darbuka courses there will be a maximum of 15.

Do I need to be able to read music? No, being unable to read music will not pose a problem. The teachers use an alternative notation system (tablatures) which can be picked up very quickly. The course is for absolute beginners, and music theory is not a requisite.

Do I need an oud or a darbuka or are they provided? All students enrolling in the course do need their own instrument. If you need to source an oud or a darbuka please do get in touch, info@arabbritishcentre.org.uk as we can put you in touch with the course teachers who know the best places to buy ouds and darbukas in London.

When do the courses run? We run courses three times a year, January – March, April – June and September – November.

Can I book a place and pay later? No, your place on the course will only be confirmed on receipt of the course fee in full.

How can I sign up to a course? What methods of payment do you accept? To sign up to a course, you need to book online on the website section ‘Book a Course’. You can find information about our current music courses and book online here

What is your refund policy? Our courses are often over-subscribed so the sooner you let us know you’ve changed your mind the better. We can then open your place up to someone else. Our rules on refunds are:

75% of the course fee will be refunded if you let us know more than 30 days before the course start date.

50% of the course fee will be refunded if you let us know within 10 – 30 days before the course start date.

No refund will be given if you let us know fewer than 10 days before the course start date.

What happens if you cancel the course? We will endeavour to ensure courses are not cancelled but if this does happen we will contact you as quickly as we can to let you know and to arrange a full refund.